Cyclone Dovi is wreaking havoc across New Zealand, bringing widespread flooding, gale winds, and serious damage across the country.
Severe weather warnings are in place for many parts of the North Island and upper half of the South Island, with people urged to stay inside as winds reach up to 150km/h even before the storm peaks on Sunday.
Authorities closed Auckland Harbour Bridge and one man was hospitalised with serious injuries after his car was struck by a fallen tree.
Despite the wild weather, hundreds of demonstrators braved the heavy rain and wind to rally against mask mandates and coronavirus restrictions outside parliament in Wellington for a sixth day.
Te Kuiti, on the North Island, has gone under water after copping 150mm of rain overnight (pictured)
Raging waters devour the coastline at Taranaki, leaving a trail of shredded trees, as ex-cyclone Dovi batters New Zealand
Winds up to 150km/h have already been clocked in some areas, although the peak of the storm is not expected to hit until later on Sunday
Hundreds of ‘Freedom’ protesters gather outside Parliament House in Wellington on Sunday as demonstrations enter a sixth day
Cladded in ponchos, protesters camped out on the lawns danced in the mud on Sunday morning as authorities blasted music in a bid to push them out.
While some countries use riot squads to disperse crowds, New Zealand officials turned to playing songs, including Frozen’s Let It Go, Celine Dion’s My Heart Will Go On, and James Blunt’s Your Beautiful.
Meanwhile, several residents were evacuated from Plimmerton, in the Wellington region, overnight after landslides hit the area, with 109mm of rain falling over the past 12 hours.
Strong wind warnings are in place across the region as well as in Auckland, Bay of Plenty, Coromandel, Great Barrier Island, Waikato, Hawke’s Bay, Taranaki, Tararua, Waitomo, Wairarapa, Wellington, and Marlborough.
Several highways and roads are closed due to flooding as emergency services work to clear roads, with many areas suffering power outages as uprooted trees crush powerlines.
‘Our crews are working hard to clear slips and re-open roads as soon as possible, but heavy rain and severe winds are still affecting many areas, and we need flood waters to recede in some areas before damage can be assessed,’ National Emergency Response Team leader Mark Owen told the New Zealand Herald.
The remnants of Cyclone Dovi expected to make landfall the northern Taranaki/Waitomo area around the mid-to late Sunday morning
Authorities have received more than 130 call outs related to the weather. Pictured are workers clearing a road after a landslide
Landslides in Plimmerton, in the Wellington region, saw residents evacuated as mud and debris filled yards and flipped cars
‘Driving conditions are hazardous in many areas, with the risk of surface flooding, slips, falling tree branches or power lines coming down, and people should avoid all non-essential travel in these areas.’
The remnant of Cyclone Dovi is expected to make landfall in the northern Taranaki/Waitomo area around mid-to late Sunday morning, with experts predicting the worst is still to come.
Wind speeds are clocking at more than 105km/h on Auckland bridge, with authorities warning they will pick up later this afternoon.
The Taranaki Emergency Management Office has already reported power outages in New Plymouth, Kaitake, Kaupokonui, Hāwera, Normanby, Okiawa and parts of Northland and the Waikato.
More than 130 calls were made to emergency services across the North Island on Saturday night due to the wild weather, with reports of a gas lines ruptured as wind throws trees across rail tracks, roads, and onto homes.
Protesters have camped outside Parliament House to rally against Covid restrictions and vaccine mandates
Severe weather warnings are currently in place for large swathes of the North Island and upper parts of the South Island
A house teeters on the edge of a cliff in Melling after a huge chunk of earth was shifted during the deluge
Floodwaters take over the SH1 at Plimmerton as police urge people to stay indoors
State Highway 58 between Paremata and Paekākāriki was closed due to a landslide, but has since been cleared, while a slip in Plimmerton upturned a car and pushed mud and debris onto homes.
A man was reportedly taken to Waikato Hospital after his vehicle was hit by a tree on Main Road in Raglan about 11.30am.
‘[We] are asking people in areas impacted by the bad weather to avoid non-essential travel,’ police said in a statement on Sunday.
As New Zealand’s Covid protests enter a sixth day, demonstrators have been working to repair camping equipment damaged overnight by the storm, Stuff reported.
Carpet, rubber mats, and bales of hay were brought in to be laid over the muddy ground, as well as large gas patio heaters for protesters to gather around to keep warm.
The demonstration kicked off last Tuesday as hundreds of cars, trucks and motorbikes carrying thousands of people from across the country converged in Wellington
The demonstration kicked off last Tuesday as hundreds of cars, trucks and motorbikes carrying thousands of people from across the country converged in Wellington, inspired by Canada’s Freedom Convoy which has paralysed Ottawa.
Police set up a barricade between protesters and Parliament House, with more than 100 arrests made over the past week as violent clashes broke out between the two sides.
The group continued to swell since Tuesday, gathering to wave banners and signs demanding the return of freedoms and denouncing the Labor government.
On Saturday, parliament speaker Trevor Mallard deployed sprinklers and boomed Barry Manilow, 1990s Latin dance anthem Macarena, and pro-vaccine messages from loud speakers to dispel the crowd.
Attempts to flush out the group has had little effect, with demonstrators digging trenches and installing makeshift drainpipes to divert the sprinkler water, and singing, dancing, and some performing the Indigenous Maori haka in response to the music.
Protesters have been forced to repair their tents after the wild weather damaged their equipment overnight
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